Contractors question

L L CG · January 2012

I know there are some wives of contractors on this board, and maybe even peeps who work for contractors. Please help.

We got a quote last night for wood flooring from a man who really impressed us. We'd like to use him. The price he gave us seemed like a fair, middle of the road price. Should I try to negotiate with him? One of the tips I saw on a website was to offer to pay the subcontractors directly so that he doesn't have to front that money himself. We are giving him 50% as a deposit.

Do contractors make an offer bid expecting negotiation?

MrsH07 · January 2012

Dont ever be afraid to negotiate anything! I would just say something along the lines of that is a little higher than what we were hoping to spend can you do any better? If he says no, then you guys choose whether you still want to work with him or not. He is selling his services and of course he is going to want to make as much money as he can.

BLONDIE6FT · January 2012

we negotiated on accident kind of

we got 3 bids. we liked one contractor that was too high and we told him that we could not afford him. we didn't know he would counter with a lower bid! if they don't have other work, then they may be willing to negotiate. my husband works in construction, too(nothing that helps me for home improvements lol ) and at rare times when they aren't as busy, they will take on smaller projects than normal.

L L CG · January 2012

K, I asked. I think he said no but he is sending over a written quote so we'll see. Either way, I am super excited!

GuavaGal · January 2012

MrsRosie:
After we chatted last night I rememberd that guavagal used the same rec for her flooring. You could see if she negotiated with him.

I did use the same floor guy as you, MrsRosie! It's a great company, very happy w/ them.

The wood floor I bought from him was already discounted because they had it in stock. I compared prices of the materials to other floor stores, and it was cheaper than anything else I could find. So, I opted not to negotiate on price, since his quote was already one of the lowest I got AND I knew I was getting a good price on materials.